1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system of the type including a plurality of image scanners, word processors, personal computers or similar image signal outputting means and a plurality of printers or similar image forming means for forming images in accordance with image signals output from the image signal outputting means.
2. Description of the Background Art
An image forming system of the type described has been proposed in various forms for various purposes. Japanese, Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-304575, for example, discloses an image forming system including a plurality of digital copiers interconnected for the purpose of implementing high-speed copying. However, assume that a plurality of image forming apparatuses with an image storing capability are connected together, and that a master image forming apparatus transfers an image which it read to a slave image forming apparatus to cause it to print the image in a joint operation mode. Then, if a user stamp registered by the user is not available at the slave image forming apparatus, the slave image forming apparatus prints the image without combining the user stamp with the image.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming system in which a master image forming unit determines, at the beginning of a joint copy job, whether or not a user stamp is registered at a slave image forming apparatus and then performs copying alone if the answer of the decision is negative, thereby obviating erroneous copying.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming system in which a master image forming apparatus determines, at the beginning of a joint copy job, whether or not a user stamp is registered at a slave image forming apparatus and then transfers, if the answer of the decision is negative, the user stamp to the slave image forming apparatus before the joint copy job, thereby effecting the joint copy job with the user stamp while reducing the operator""s work.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an image forming system in which a slave image forming apparatus deletes a user stamp after a joint copy job for thereby promoting the efficient use of a memory.
In an image forming system of the present invention including a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the image forming apparatuses each include a reading device for reading a document and a printing device for printing an image read by the reading device. A joint operation device transfers the image read by the reading device to another image forming apparatus and causes it to print the image. A joint copy mode selecting device commands the joint operation device to execute a joint copy mode operation. A registering device allows the operator to register a user stamp to be combined with the image in the event of printing. A combining device combines the user stamp and image. A decision device determines whether or not the user stamp is registered at the another image forming apparatus to which the joint operation device has transferred the image. When the joint copy mode operation is selected and if the user stamp is registered at the another image forming apparatus, as determined by the decision device, the joint operation device executes the joint copy mode operation.